THE
September ,
L ~ D- \\ OMA:'\
tr
~2()
Poultry Notes.
By
w. Powell·Owen,
HE mor cios<;l~ one -tud~<"' rrl~ grad d flock-. , \\lwther
T
r
t
be p I ts o-r h n -..
.
of Gradin~.-r only ws'-h . e\e~)
[>OUt -k pa would r aJi,
thi ... , and J><'r't"t 10
gr d1. g t very turn. T<> ~rade m an, to <;Ull out
or r m 'e rom am g-h"n numb<-r tho,e art d ' or
er at r
that .tre ·,>f inferior qu.tht~.
\\ h<-n \H
d i. E~~" of abnorm.tlh l.trg(' M
mtllf siz . '' Jth rough or irregular -.hell-. •. ol J~ll
ol !:1< t that
the egg cou ts fin.t. I· rom \\ ithin thP l'~g com<>.,
, ur chi k. and thf' proper "'~'' ction t)f th<' form r
r\ .., "" a g-rad!d dav-olo chick.
The Growing Stages.- Ha' in~ obtained our chick,
• c.;ontinue to grad(• from th... fir:-.t d •: to the
I .. t • Oir tlv
th<' <'hick ... ar<- out weaklin~ .. t.hould
*
•
I)(> kill• d, a
.:;hould all that ar{' M·formed. ~ext
• (') r-<; tl
·paration of the ' 't(-., of \'itnl import-
" ,., at th~' ,.arJiP t opportunib·. in order to .t!kJW
tht" pull h to gN their pr~r .. hare of ftxxl :tnd to
mak(' progrcs.., to maturit} without receh·ing <..l't-
b t k . \Ve tf'nd our crucks can•full·. during the
growing tnges, rcm~m!Y.>rin~ that t~n well-rf'm f'tl
p 11!( ts ar,. h<>tt~'r than a hundred badly-rc:.m d bird-..
T h~>r~ nr,. ronsid' rablf> arg-ument... oft( n hf'-,trd ."lJH'nt
the qu"r)' : ' ' \Vho ic; the br N>d' r : the p<'r-.on "ho
mates or the r <>ar{·r of the> <-hicks? " The m ajorit~
dochr~> th:tt thl! poult ry-kN·~ r '"' ho does the mnting
p·tt t and sek< ts this th•• brr df·r. But I am not with them. \ pou ltn·-
kM'~r mav m.tte w<>ll the p trcnt bird' and hand
O\'« r th.., ('~~5 or chicks to a -.~ond p~'r,on to rear.
In Ill\' \·icw , knowing how o n !> c.tll makt• or mar
pullet!; in the rearing, I pi la tt•·r quitf' on an
('qual fcx•ting- with the m. ting-up of tht> parent
tock.
Early La) in~. - To combat our climatic condition, ,
which nre agHin ... t th" heavy lay in~ of w i nt~> r eggs ,
I know no 6chedulc ~ tt,. r than thP followi n~ :- (I)
H • .ttd1 heavy-brN'\1 pullet .. about mid-:\larch, and
lig-h t- bre~:·d pullets :..bout mid-April : ( 2) place thrsfl
pull"t in thf'ir p-- rmn n{'nt winter quarter-. ;rhout th('
lirc:t w N k in cyptembt'r, and f('(.>d up for October
{'1-{gs
~~t -t ll Xf.., 'lrf' bt> ... t placed in th<' hou-.(.., nbout
th" f'cond W<~k in S~>pt,mbt... :tre approaching maturitv th<'v nN'd
thf' d t .,. -t "(rut in~ nnd most carE-f ut man:.g Pm<'nt
or .th•• ~d1"dul<' w11! !)(! romplet<>lv up-.d. Pullet~
~duch ('Qmtr.lt'ncP. to l.n· in Party ~premb<'r (or <'V<'n
1n .\ugw;l) am·.m1hh
l.tv
· t
'-h,..,"• f"ll
" lOO
•
· a bat~h of "plemlwr.
t tk' et r<''f, :m<.l may not la\ again till ~o\·(• mbe-r
ot Dt"( mix r. Only those which make a start . th
• l . k
~-
10
t \\C C or so o ( ..:Jept~'
m~r w+>m to carr
d p
) ....
"'i urf' ~"~g.. t h mug h out thf" '' intPr month~ ' on ,\ll
pr
Importance
F.B.S.A.
\\oid the Pullet ) f oult.-The pullet moult 1 ·
a p:.rtin I one, the n<:ck and breast fca t hr-r 6 ~. 11 '>
10
dropJK-.d ; d<, not confu, ,. it with the annual
J{
of nduh hens, which st nrb in July or Augu !'.'t 0 ;l~~uh
.., a,on, and becau-.e you S<'e ft'ather-, ;'lOo ut th
h
and hou-." where gro\\ ing chickf'n aH• 'Ilia c run
do uot " g et the wind up '' and think the rter<;d,
moult j ,., on and your ch.lnce of getting winte partial
j., goni', Chickf'n-. arc continuall~ moulting or rh egg
ing fea th<>r-, from a dny to six months old untij ~h,_~·
real pullt:t feathPr~ arriw•, thf' latter remainin un 1 .r
the following Ju h , when the c;~nd-<;Pa"on pi~ . 111
t·om,.s, i.(' . . the first adult or real moult
It imo~f"
1
f.tl-.c or partial moult that on<· mu"t ~· 11 .-.rvr comm~'~<':·~
to lay or are about to lay. Early la)NS will ha\ro a
partinl moult about the end of !>ept('mber, wh<·n
tlwy h:l\'e laid a bat<- h of egg-., and they c;houtd be
k pt :1 way from the other pullets or wilt makf' the
latter go into the moult. I n like mannt>r maturin
pull<'h "'hould not be run with adult moulting hen t:
r thPy .them-.elvcs will moult. ~Ioulting is a habi~
thnt Ntsli\' spreads, a further proof that th~> grading
of flock-. i.-.; a sitle qua non to obtain the bc..,t r"-
t\11 '1 ....
0Ut · Of Season La) in g.-February-hatched heav)-
bH rJ pull· h and ~l a rch-hat<:hcd light brC<'ds wilt
rc<.lden up and s tart to lay in August or Septt-mber
and .,hould 1><- kept away from those hatched jus;
: i~ht for Oggs in Augu<;;
.tnd S~>ptembf'r, while the adult hens are moulting
.tnd e gg--h~hkets are low. Such pays becau-;.-. onr
c.t!l'h<' ... t h<' ri'iing market-pri~s. T he bird" <-an bf.'
plac(·d in a flock by themselves and be fed up for
~'gg-production a-; they will serve their purpos<-, rest,
and start to lay again in the winter. But on<' mu-.t
not allow those pullets hatched to t ime to lay earlirr
tha n OctoiX'r, because while the J anuary and Febru-
.tr \
birds will be matured, the latter will not tx-,
and when thf' first eO'~ comes please remember that
growth stop5. Early laying is one cau.::e of small
f'ggs and will ruin a pullet for size of egg. Onh
from big, well-d up for egg-production from mid-
October so long as they are placed in their winter
quar t"r" just before October comes along. If th~)
are allow<'d to run with the early birds t hat ore to
l.ty, these late-hatched, immatured pullets will .;tart
production too soon and give the small e~g;;.
.
Size of Egg.-As I have stated, the fi rst egg hud
by a pullet is he-r smallest, a nd o ne s hould be ~blc
to obtain an id<>a o f its average weig ht by the
the tenth <'g~ is produced. About three months 0
la) ing {by, say, J a nuary or F ebrua ry) sees the eg;g
get a little larger, and it shows a fin al advance 1"
<::ile and weight from the start of th<' -;t'Cond season
of lay, i.e., a fter the firs t r eal or adu lt moult. j~
pullet ladng a 1 ~z. egg in O ctob<-r will probab
·
gwe
<1 fitan d ard 20z. ('gg by Feb ruMV, b u t whrn
(ronthwed on page 2 t o.)
tunf